Cigarette snuffer



.. March 1954 H. L. WILLIAMS 2,671,454

CIGARETTE SNUFFER Filed Aug. 31, 1950 INVENTOR. HERBERT L. MAL/AIMS.

A TTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE SNUFFER Herbert L. Williams, Ventura, Calif.

Application August 31, 1950, Serial N 0. 182,551

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for extinguishing lighted cigarettes and particularly to a type of such devices popularly called cigarette .snufiers.

One of the objects of my invention is to produce a device of this type having means for automatically snufiing, that is, extinguishing the cigarette when the burning end of the cigarette is thrust into the device.

Another object of the invention is to construct the device so that it can readily be constructed of a few parts, one of which functions as a base having a chamber in which the snuifed out butts will be collected and which can readily be dumped from time to time. Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiicient cigarette snuffer.

A preferred embodiment is described in the iollowing specifications, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is substantially a vertical section through the snuffer, with a portion of the device shown in frontelevation.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken about on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, further illustrating elements that co-operate to effect this vsnuiifing operation.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the upper end-or receiver of the device as viewed from the right side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross section on line '.i5 of Fig. 6, but shows the parts as though the section has been rotated through ninety degrees about its Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modified form.

Referring more particularly to the parts, the device comprises a casing l including a base portion or body la and a receiver neck lb, preferably of substantially tubular form, and surmounted by a mouth or inlet Zhaving anunobstructed opening 3 through which the cigarette butt may be introduced.

When so introduced the burning butt end of the cigarette impinges upon a movably supported stop means 4 that preferably includes two or more pivotally supported arms, or levers to. These arms 4a may operate as levers to actuate means for engaging a cigarette butt in such a way as to extinguish it. In the present instance that is eiiected by severing the lower end of the cigarette, so that the cut off end can fall into the collecting basin or tray 5 within the body la. The body la is hollow preferably of the shell form shown in Fig. l and is removably attached to the tubular neck lb.

The receiver for the cigarettes includes a tie pressible head 6 that .is preferably of mushroom form with a tubu ar stem or inner sleeve 7! below that fits neatly into the open end of the neck lb, and this sleeve is guided to slide up and .down in the neck lb.

I prefer to use two snuffer blades 4b disposed diametrically opposite each other, and these blades are also preferably made integral with their stop arms or levers la. The blades 41) terminate in end portions to which are adapted to engage the lit end of a cigarette.

This enabies these two parts to be made of a single blank of plate form which may be bent substantially to the shape shown in Fig. .1, so that each blade b overlies its stop plate In. but disposed in an inwardly and upwardly inclined position. And the upper ends or edges .8 of the blades 4b are spaced apart sufiiciently to enable the cigarette butt to pass down between them and impinge or rest against the stop plates 4a that are preferably curved slightly, with their convex faces uppermost.

in forming these plate members 411 and 4b, the blank from which they are formed is bent to form a sleeve or eye 9 through which a pivot pin is placed; and the ends of this pin are held in small eyes I 0 formed on the upper ends of two tongues H, that are integral with the material of the neck lb and extend upwardly from its upper edge.

Just below the mushroom head 6, the sleeve '3 has two oppositely disposed openings l2 through which the snuiier members i extend, so that the tips of the plates la lie near each other and below the opening 3.

When the lighted end of the cigarette is pushed down through the opening 3 it can pass between the edges 3 of the snuiier blades lib that are spaced apart a distance about equal to the diameter of the opening 3..

The snuiier is preferably actuated by depressing the sleeve 1 against the force of the coiled spring l3 which is housed in the neck lb and thrusting upwardly against the lower end of the sleeve l. The upper edges of the openings 1.2, moving down against the snufier blades 4b causes them to rotate in opposite directions, forcing them down so that their edges t cut .oiiandsnuif a cigarette butt that may be supported on the stop plates to.

In the position of rest of the parts the spring is vfully extended and not in compression, so it requires very slight force to depress the head 6 to actuate the snufier members.

The tips ie of the plates (is are preferably slightly out of line with each other in a vertical plane, so that they will not jam on each other when they are swung inwardly.

In order to prevent the cigarette butt from slipping sidewise in such away as might possibly prevent it from engaging the snufier members I prefer to provide two guides l6. Ashere il1ustrated they are in the form of rectangular plates disposed in a vertical plane and located respectively adjacent to the paths of the side edges of the snuifer members 4. The ends of these guide plates 15 are bent laterally to form short areshaped flanges I! that are soldered or otherwise secured to the inner face of the sleeve 1. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

At the upper portion of the head 6 the wall is formed into a downwardly projecting flange as shown in Fig. 1, the downwardly and radially inclined arcuate portion of which operates as a guide to assist in pentering the cigarette into opening 3.

Any suitable means such as bayonet slots may be used if desired, instead of the threads I8 for detachably securing the neck lb to body la that functions as an ash tray. Since the sleeve assembly can be lifted out when desired, the collecting chamber can readily be dumped by inverting the base and shaking it. Then the spring l3 and the sleeve and ashes will fall out. The sleeve assembly can then be readily replaced.

If a cigarette butt is too short to handle without danger of burning the user it can be put in the opening 3 with its lower end resting on the stop plates 4a; and the pressure of ones finger on the top of head 6 can operate the snuffers as described above.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which I dispense with the pieces l6 that function to keep the cigarette butt moving straight down.

In this embodiment I form the sleeve '1 with a flat sided cross-section or throat by pressing its wall inwardly by means of dies at two diametrically opposite points to form two fiat cheeks 1a (see Fig. 5) these cheeks 1a perform the same function as the inner faces of the guide pieces l6, and the sleeve wall between these flat cheeks has a cylindrical shape as indicated at 1b. At the upper portion of the cylindrical surface at these points the side openings are formed. Fig. 5 shows the section as it would be looking upwardly, so the bulbous head id is in view.

This cigarette snuifer or extinguisher is preferably operated by placing the lighted end of a cigarette past the unobstructed opening 3 in the head 6, and pushing the cigarette down until its lower end rests on the stop plates or wings 4a below the blades or knives 4b. The smoker should then slide his fingers down the cigarette until they contact the upper side of the head 6. Then by pressing the head 6 downward the knives 4 will swing downwardly, and their edges 8 will cut on" the lighted end portion of the cigarette. When the smoker releases the head 6 the severed burning butt end of the cigarette will have passed down through the lower end of the neck or sleeve 1 and will have dropped into the chamber 5. The remainder of the cigarette may then be thrown away or if it is sufficiently long may be lighted again for another smoke.

The knives 4b make a clean even cut across the cigarette so that the use of this snufier or extinguisher eliminates unsightly mutilated cigarette butts lying in ash trays, or unextinguished butts that are frequently left to smolder there.

One downward movement of the head 6 suflices to snuff the butt end and deposit it in the chamber 5.

When this snuifer or extinguisher is used in an automobile being driven through a dangerous fire area it greatly reduces the danger from forest fires.

Many other embodiments of the invention may 4 be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cigarette snuffer, the combination of a casing with a chamber for receiving snuffed cigarette butts, a manually operable actuating member having an unobstructed opening adapted to receive the butt end of a cigarette, and guided to be moved bodily downward on said casing, stop means pivotally mounted on said casing between said opening and said chamber in a position to engage and stop said butt end when the same is passed through and beyond said inlet opening, and snuifer means movably supported on the casing and actuated by the downward movement of said actuating member when the same is moved downwardly by the operators hand for snufiing the cigarette butt.

2. A snufier according to claim 1, said snuffer including a plurality of blades spaced apart circumferentially about the axis of said inlet, and a connection between said actuating member and said blades for moving the blades downwardly and towards each other to effect the snufling of the cigarette end.

3. A cigarette snufier according to claim 1 including guides disposed at the sides of the snufier members for preventing the lit end of the cigarette from moving laterally out of the path of the snuffer members.

4. A snufier according to claim 3 in which the casing includes a tubular neck extending upwardly from the base for supporting the snuffer members, a sleeve adapted to telescope in the neck and guided to slide upward and downward therein, said sleeve having openings through which the snuffer members project inwardly, and a return spring for normally holding the sleeve and the snufier members in their upwardly disposed position of rest.

5. In a cigarette snuffer, the combination of a casing having a substantially tubular neck, a sleeve guided to slide up and down in the neck and having an upper opening for the introduction of a cigarette, snuifer members below said opening pivotally supported on said neck including snufier means adapted to move inwardly for engaging the ignited end of a cigarette to extinguish it, a return spring in the neck thrusting upwardly against the sleeve, said sleeve having means for engaging said snuifer members for actuating them and normally maintaining the snuifers in their upwardly disposed position of rest.

6. A cigarette snuffer according to claim 1 in which the casing includes an upwardly extending neck and a sleeve guided for movement down and up in the neck, said sleeve having openings through which the snuiier members project inwardly, said sleeve also having flattened side wall portions at the sides of the snuffer members for confining the cigarette butts against moving laterally when the snufier members engage the cigarette butt.

HERBERT L. WILLIAMS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,658,885 Darney Feb. 14, 1928 1,815,955 Poling July 28, 1931 1,827,360 Glomb Oct. 13, 1931 1,934,401 Boller Nov. 7, 1933 2,406,685 Hinson Aug. 27, 1946 

